There are no official words to "Taps." This story includes various versions of popular lyrics, as published by tapsbugler.com, an organization that helps provide Taps for military funeral services.

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'Day is done'

There are no official words to "Taps." This story includes various versions of popular lyrics, as published by tapsbugler.com, an organization that helps provide Taps for military funeral services.

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"Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lake, from the hill,

From the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh"

LODI - On Monday, lifelong resident Richard Hanson will rise earlier than usual. He will drive to the cemetery where he has worked for 34 years, the resting place for some of his own family members and friends.

At 6 a.m., Hanson and the rest of the grounds crew will erect 994 flags along the avenues of Cherokee Memorial Park for the cemetery's Memorial Day ceremony.

And that task is only the beginning.

This is busiest day of the year for Hanson, one of about 10 employees who work all year digging graves and keeping the grass around the existing markers carefully trimmed, among other duties.

Hanson does important work in a sacred place. And he does it as quietly as possible, not wanting to be a distraction.

But for about 45 seconds each Memorial Day, Hanson's yearlong service to the dead and to their mourning families takes on a much more public role.

"Go to sleep, peaceful sleep,

May the soldier or sailor,

God keep.

On the land or the deep,

Safe in sleep"

Hanson, 53, won't wear his grass-stained work pants today, nor his striped work shirt with "Richard" emblazoned on the breast.

A button-up shirt and slacks will take their place.

And once the veterans flags are mounted, and other preparatory chores finished, he'll hustle to the scene of the ceremony well before it begins.

He'll look out over the crowd and wait while those who never came home are honored through prayer and music and speeches.

And when his turn comes, at the ceremony's very end, he will lift a horn to his lips.

"Thanks and praise, For our days,

'Neath the sun, 'Neath the stars,

'Neath the sky,

As we go, This we know,

God is nigh."

Hanson's mother, Jeanine Hanson, is a piano teacher. He inherited her love for music and began playing trumpet in the third grade.

When Hanson went to work at the cemetery in 1980, he was a logical candidate to play "Taps" on Memorial Day.

He was accustomed to playing in public - at church, in a band.

This would be different. Like many people, Hanson's family has ties to the military. Four uncles served in World War II. A cousin served in Afghanistan.

"When I first started playing, I guess you could say that I had some feelings, some emotion," he said. "But I was just focused on making sure I sounded the best of my ability so people would have something to remember for their loved ones' service."

Hanson has played Taps for Memorial Day every year since. He has also played at hundreds of military funerals. The funeral directors in town knew he played the horn; they'd call the cemetery ahead of time and say, "Let Richard know."

There are not many left like Hanson. Often, these days, the playing of "Taps" is accomplished using horns with electronic inserts that produce a digital recording of the tune.

That won't happen at Cherokee's Memorial Day service as long as Hanson is around.

"I always feel honored that I can do this for them," he said. "It's a service I can provide as a way of saying 'Thank you,' I guess, for their part in serving our country and providing us with the freedom we enjoy today."

"Love, good night, Must thou go,

When the day, And the night

Need thee so?

All is well. Speedeth all

To their rest."

Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/breitlerblog and on Twitter @alexbreitler.